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Bishopric of Brandenburg
The Bishopric of Brandenburg was a Roman Catholic diocese based in Brandenburg in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It existed from 949 until 983 and again from 1150 until 1571 (although bishops continued to be appointed during the interregnum), although the last Catholic bishop converted to Lutheranism in 1540. The diocese of Brandenburg (949 - 983) The region around Brandenburg had been inhabited from at least the 6th Century by the Slavic tribe of the Hevellians. In 939 the Emperor Otto I the Great subjugated the Hevelli and placed the tribes as far as the Oder under tribute. In order to convert the inhabitants of the region to Christianity, he founded the Bishoprics of Brandenburg and the nearby Havelberg, placing them under the Archbishopric of Magdeburg in 968. In 983 the Slavs rebelled and the Germans retreated. Both Havelberg and Brandenburg were burnt to the ground. Bishopric of Brandenburg (1150 - 1571) Bishops of Brandenburg continued to be appointed even though there was no diocese. In 1134, Count Albert of Ballenstädt was made the Margrave of the Nordmark. Albert established a friendship with the Wendish prince Pribyslav and was declared his heir. He assumed the title "Margrave of Brandenburg and took control of the land in 1150. Albert brought in colonists from Utrecht and the Lower Rhine which reclaimed swamplands for farming, and refounded the dioceses of Havelberg and Brandenburg under his protection. The Cistercians and Premonstratensians immediately set about converting the Wends. After the extinction of the House of Ascanian, in 1320 the Wittelsbach Emperor Louis IV annexed the Margraviate for himself, later passing it to his sons in 1351. Brandenburg was officially confirmed as an Electorate of the Empire in 1356. The Wittelsbach rule in Brandenburg proved wildly unpopular throughout Germany and the House was forced to cede it to the Luxembourg Emperor Charles IV in 1373. Charles IV restored conditions throughout Brandenburg although the Bishoprics of Havelberg and Brandenburg ceased to be immediate fiefs in the Empire. Brandenburg was invested to the House of Hohenzollern in 1417. Elector Frederick II (1440 - 1470) established Brandenburg as a centre of religious learning. The Bishops of Brandenburg were in constant dispute with the Archbishops of Magdeburg as the bishops themselves did not rule any land, only having the rank of "Prince of the Empire". The Bishops also quarrelled often with the inhabitants of the diocese. In the face of constant danger, the bishops had to enter into the protection of the Brandenburg Electors and slowly ceded rights to them. Already able to appoint four of the Cathedral canons, in 1514 the Electors also obtained the right to appoint the Cathedral Provost. From 1527 the Cathedral and the bishops began to show Protestant inclinations. In 1539 Bishop Matthias of Jagow converted the Elector Joachim II Hector to Lutheranism. The following year Matthias converted to Lutheranism also, and the conversion of the entire diocese was undertaken over the following years. After the appointment of the Catholic Joachim II of Münsterberg-Öls (1546 - 1560), the bishops were members of the Elector's family. In 1571 the Bishopric was secularised. See Also: *List of Bishops of Brandenburg Brandenburg Category:Diocese of Brandenburg